Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

Post by gopunahou »

HS Football Fanatic wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:19 am
gopunahou wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:21 am
ChadFukuoka wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 11:07 pm

I wonder if choosing to play in D2 affected the players that Iolani has gotten since then. Although I wasn’t old enough to have watched football in the 90’s, it seems like Iolani had more size and better recruits back in that era. Maybe they were getting better players because they were competing against the likes of St Louis, Kamehameha, and Punahou. I believe Iolani is D1 in every other sports besides football, and they compete fairly well in most of them (basketball, soccer, volleyball)
Are you asking if players like Joe Igber and Donny Mateaki would want to play for Iolani since they are no longer playing against open teams? Good question, because I can only think of two Iolani graduates since 2004 who’ve received D1 offers. They stopped playing the powerhouses on the regular in 2002. Between 1996 and 2003, they had at least one D1 prospect from every class.
@gopunahou: I think you're onto something. We all know that Iolani School has strong academics. However, I'd say that--generally speaking--football players want to win, and they want to win at the highest level (Open). I suspect that blue-chip players at Iolani School are there primarily because their parents want them there, for the academics. I think that if blue-chip players had a choice, they'd play for an Open school. As good as Iolani School is in D1, that's not the top division. So, if a blue-chip player plays for Iolani School, OK, that school is good in D1. But he might think, why not play for an Open school? If I play for Iolani School, people might say, "OK, you guys were good, but that's only D1". That's a slight. On the other hand, Open schools command instant respect as far as football is concerned. No one can say anything when you're playing in the very top, elite division. Even if you're playing for an Open school that might not be near the top of that division, you can still say, "Hey, I'm playing in the top division. Even if my school isn't near the top, at least no one can say we suck. Most guys respect all Open teams, because we're in the top, toughest division. Even though my school's record may not be the best, guys know that's because the schools we play in our division have the biggest, toughest, and most-talented teams."
Before the open division existed, Iolani was always playing in D2 as long as it had existed. Because of that, they were a lightning rod of criticism and complained about it in an article in the school bulletin. They’ve taken criticism much worse than Punahou has, since so many fans of other school hate us with a passion. But that’s beside the point. The point is that I can guarantee that a huge portion of people criticizing Iolani’s presence in D2 (including myself) remembered too well the 90s and how competitive they were back then. Iolani FB detractors used that to criticize their presence in D2 and the fact that they had a winning record in the ILH (50-49-1) in the 90s, as well as a victory over St. Louis and a first-place tie. That’s something Pac-Five and Damien can’t say.
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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

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@gopunahou: Well, unfortunately, I do have to admit that many guys do dislike your alma mater. And, as you know, I'm one of them. Yes, some guys even hate your alma mater, like a colleague who used to work with me (he's a Mililani alumnus). Having said that, I for one refuse to hate your alma mater. I think it's heinous to hate a high school; teenage kids attend high schools. I certainly dislike your alma mater, but I refuse to hate them. If you hate any high school, you're hating on teenage kids; to me at least, there's something disturbing about that. I can see hating a college; at least most college students are adults.
Having said all that, I think we have to forget about teams from the distant past, gopunahou. I mean, Iolani School football today--and for the last ten years, at least--is not the same as Iolani School football in the '90s. '90s Iolani School football has disappeared along with the decade itself. Today, Iolani School football players are typically undersized. I mean, from what I understand, of the starters on their O-line this year, only one player is 200' or over. That might have flown back in the mid-'70s, when I was in high school. But, that's simply not going to cut it today, in Open. High school football players have gotten bigger over the past 30 years, but not at Iolani School. I would guess the same could be said for schools like Kalani High, and perhaps Waialua High. For whatever reason, some schools have a hard time getting big and/or thick players.

I'm assuming you're not making a case for Iolani School going up to Open, are you? I mean, I dislike Iolani School, but I think it would be unreasonable to expect that school to survive in Open with the size of O-line they have. For the moment, I think they are where they belong: D1. Since there's no Punahou II team, your alma mater cannot have a direct role in beating Iolani. But, I think St Louis II has a chance to upset them. If Iolani tries to throw the ball, well, St Louis II had three INTs against Damien this past weekend, and beat Damien. As a Punahou alumnus, I don't know which school you dislike more: Iolani School or St Louis School. Both are rivals of your alma mater. But traditionally--for at least the past 40 years and more-- Punahou School's most hated rival has been Iolani School. So, perhaps you're pulling for St Louis II when they play Iolani?
Last edited by HS Football Fanatic on Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

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HS Football Fanatic wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:31 pm @gopunahou: Well, unfortunately, I do have to admit that many guys do dislike your alma mater. And, as you know, I'm one of them. Yes, some guys even hate your alma mater, like a colleague who used to work with me (he's a Mililani alumnus). Having said that, I for one refuse to hate your alma mater. I think it's heinous to hate a high school; teenage kids attend high schools. I certainly dislike your alma mater, but I refuse to hate them. If you hate any high school, you're hating on teenage kids; to me at least, there's something disturbing about that. I can see hating a college; at least most college students are adults.
Having said all that, I think we have to forget about teams from the distant past, gopunahou. I mean, Iolani School football today--and for the last ten years, at least--is not the same as Iolani School football in the '90s. '90s Iolani School football has disappeared along with the decade itself. Today, Iolani School football players are typically undersized. I mean, from what I understand, of the starters on their O-line this year, only one player is 200' or over. That might have flown back in the mid-'70s, when I was in high school. But, that's simply not going to cut it today, in Open. High school football players have gotten bigger over the past 30 years, but not at Iolani School. I would guess the same could be said for schools like Kalani High, and perhaps Waialua High. For whatever reason, some schools have a hard time getting big and/or thick players.

I'm assuming you're not making a case for Iolani School going up to Open, are you? I mean, I dislike Iolani School, but I think it would be unreasonable to expect that school to survive in Open with the size of O-line they have. For the moment, I think they are where they belong: D1. Since there's no Punahou II team, your alma mater cannot have a direct role in beating Iolani. But, I think St Louis II has a chance to upset Iolani. If Iolani tries to throw the ball, well, St Louis II had three INTs against Damien this past weekend, and beat Damien. As a Punahou alumnus, I don't know which school you dislike more: Iolani School or St Louis School. Both are rivals of your alma mater. But traditionally--for at least the past 40 years and more-- Punahou School's most hated rival has been Iolani School. So, perhaps you're pulling for St Louis II when they play Iolani?
I expressed a lot of hatred toward Iolani at the beginning of the 2010s and even called them the “Evil Empire.” But you know what? It ain’t Iolani I hate, nor is it St. Louis. I hate people who express certain opinions. One of them is that “Iolani does not recruit.” Another is “I hope we go back to the 90s when every team was second fiddle to St. Louis.” I’ve got nothing personal against the players (unless they hold obscene opinions), but watching a team win so much—that’s something a person will hate. Not helping is that our biggest hater is a fan of both Iolani and St. Louis.
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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

Post by HS Football Fanatic »

@gopunahou:

That's an interesting comment: "Iolani (School) does not recruit." So, you're saying they do recruit. Well, if they do recruit, why don't they recruit big, thick guys for their O-line? And, as for your last sentence, I ask: Why would we have to go back to the '90s to find every school playing second fiddle to St Louis School? That's already how it is right now.

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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

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HS Football Fanatic wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:41 pm @gopunahou:

That's an interesting comment: "Iolani (School) does not recruit." So, you're saying they do recruit. Well, if they do recruit, why don't they recruit big, thick guys for their O-line? And, as for your last sentence, I ask: Why would we have to go back to the '90s to find every school playing second fiddle to St Louis School? That's already how it is right now.
If Iolani didn’t recruit, chances are they’d be a slow team. Speed has always helped them win or stay in games against much bigger teams. Look at the boys track team that just won states.
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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

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@gopunahou: Well, I guess we can't say Look hasn't been successful at recruiting; Iolani School seems to be finishing as ILH D1 champ almost every year. I guess he does feel that speed is more important than size. No question, Iolani School seems to have team speed every year. But, should he pay more attention to size? I think the acid test will be when Iolani plays St Louis II. I don't know a whole lot about St Louis II, but they did beat Damien by something like 3 TDs, and they also had 3 INTs defensively. I'd really like to know how big St Louis II's D-line is. After all, St Louis II is basically a JV team. But, if their D-line is at least somewhat big, I'd like to see how Iolani's O-line handles them. Something tells me Iolani HC Look might try to run on them, because 1.) They (Iolani) seemed to run pretty well on Damien, and 2.) Seeing as St Louis picked-off 3 Damien passes, perhaps that's another reason to try to move the ball on the ground.
But again, with Iolani's smallish O-line, how will that O-line fare against St Louis II's D-line? How big is St Louis II's D-line? Suppose that it's pretty big. Then, when Iolani's O-linemen try to fire-out on run plays, they're going to hit a brick wall; where will the RB or QB go? If Iolani tries a pass play, and the O-linemen take more of an upright stance, they'll get knocked-back on their cans, and St Louis' front-seven will flow-in like water.

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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

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HS Football Fanatic wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:41 pm @gopunahou:

That's an interesting comment: "Iolani (School) does not recruit." So, you're saying they do recruit. Well, if they do recruit, why don't they recruit big, thick guys for their O-line? And, as for your last sentence, I ask: Why would we have to go back to the '90s to find every school playing second fiddle to St Louis School? That's already how it is right now.
Maybe the bigger players are just at other schools? We had a previous discussion about Polynesians being good football players in my other thread I made.

Kamehameha. You need to be at least part Hawaiian to attend there. Hawaiians are usually big in size as well as tough.

Punahou. You mentioned they recruit from the North Shore, which is Kahuku’s district. A lot of Polynesians live in the Laie/Waimea/Haleiwa areas.

St Louis. They’ve been successful for so long that they attract players from everywhere. They are also an all boys school so they can focus mainly on football.

A lot of players at public schools for financial/logistical reasons can’t attend private schools, so they just play in their district. Even then, schools like Mililani recruit from the West Oahu area. Getting players from Ewa Beach, Kapolei, or Waipahu. So even the public schools that recruit out of their geographic district are getting bigger, faster, stronger players to join their team.

Iolani’s academics are considered one of the best in the state, so maybe a lot of players who attend public schools haven’t been taking the accelerated or honors courses needed to meet their entry requirements. You can be successful at a public school, and go to a good college based on your high school achievements, but you still need to be able to meet the more stringent entry requirements to transfer to a private school for your high school years. In college football, elite academic schools like Northwestern, Stanford, Vanderbilt, etc, also face this problem.

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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

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Wow I would hate to be an Iolani lover on this forum hahaha Disclaimer: my nephews play for Iolani and some other schools. Somewhat new to the football forums and the passion you guys have is great!
If there wasn't any divisions in Football would schools like Iolani, Kalani, Damien drop their programs entirely? A lot of these lower division schools seem like FB is dying as noted from their roster numbers (not just covid but even before) From an admin point they would be protecting the health and well being of their kids, especially a school like Iolani where the tuition is outrageous!!! I'm sure most private school parents are paying to invest in their kids brains rather than careers except of course Saint Louis, you pay to play football!
At Iolani,I am assuming the kids are not pursuing a career in FB these days having their sights on higher academic achievements as @chadFukuoka mentioned and play for fun (albeit Look sure doesn't act like it, is that guy ever happy on camera??? wtf).
So did some digging and noticed with Iolani it seems a lot of their FB stars started in 7th grade or earlier and I don't think they were being recruited then. Opposed to Punahou where a lot of standouts seem to start in the 9th grade. St Louis, well every football player seems to want to go there from every grade.
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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

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You guys need to see the new Tumua video.. Zayden the high school football player
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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

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ChadFukuoka wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 6:41 pm
HS Football Fanatic wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:41 pm @gopunahou:

That's an interesting comment: "Iolani (School) does not recruit." So, you're saying they do recruit. Well, if they do recruit, why don't they recruit big, thick guys for their O-line? And, as for your last sentence, I ask: Why would we have to go back to the '90s to find every school playing second fiddle to St Louis School? That's already how it is right now.
Maybe the bigger players are just at other schools? We had a previous discussion about Polynesians being good football players in my other thread I made.

Kamehameha. You need to be at least part Hawaiian to attend there. Hawaiians are usually big in size as well as tough.

Punahou. You mentioned they recruit from the North Shore, which is Kahuku’s district. A lot of Polynesians live in the Laie/Waimea/Haleiwa areas.

St Louis. They’ve been successful for so long that they attract players from everywhere. They are also an all boys school so they can focus mainly on football.

A lot of players at public schools for financial/logistical reasons can’t attend private schools, so they just play in their district. Even then, schools like Mililani recruit from the West Oahu area. Getting players from Ewa Beach, Kapolei, or Waipahu. So even the public schools that recruit out of their geographic district are getting bigger, faster, stronger players to join their team.

Iolani’s academics are considered one of the best in the state, so maybe a lot of players who attend public schools haven’t been taking the accelerated or honors courses needed to meet their entry requirements. You can be successful at a public school, and go to a good college based on your high school achievements, but you still need to be able to meet the more stringent entry requirements to transfer to a private school for your high school years. In college football, elite academic schools like Northwestern, Stanford, Vanderbilt, etc, also face this problem.
@ChadFukuoka:
1. Well, I don't see why the bigger players have to be "just at other schools." Yes, many Polys are big, and, why can't they be at Iolani School? They've had big Polys before; why can't they have them now?
2. The thing about Kamehameha Schools is that yes, you have to have Hawaiian to go there, but there's no minimum quantum. For example, a kid could have less than, say, 1/4 Hawaiian, and still go there. A kid with that little Hawaiian wouldn't necessarily be that different than non-Hawaiian kids at other schools. Let's say a kid has 1/8 Hawaiian, and is attending Kamehameha Schools. With that little Hawaiian, he might not even look Hawaiian at all, and yet he's at that school.
3. As for Punahou School, absolutely: While Kale Ane was there, I heard they recruited heavily from Kahuku High. That's why some guys called Punahou School, "Kahuku South".
4. Yes, St Louis School attracts players from everywhere, but the same could be said for any private high school. St Louis School's "specialty" was raiding MWH. Since MWH kids are supposed to go to McKinley High, we could say that, in effect, St Louis School has been raiding McKinley High. And that, I think, has been going-on since the mid-'80s. MWH is a gold mine of football talent; many of St Louis School's best players were from MWH.
5. I don't think Mililani High recruits only from west Oahu; I heard they're recruiting from Kahuku High, too.
6. I'm not sure Iolani School can hide behind academics. I've heard that Punahou School created an unofficial special academic "track" for big/talented Polys who aren't "academically inclined," just so that they can keep playing football for the school. I can't claim to know that for a fact, but that's what I've heard. If it is true, why can't Iolani School do the same? (Ironically, I hope they never do, because I'd hate to see Iolani School get good enough to go to Open. That's because I don't care for Iolani School; I don't want them to get better or stronger in football.)

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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

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OldManJenkins wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 6:52 pm Wow I would hate to be an Iolani lover on this forum hahaha Disclaimer: my nephews play for Iolani and some other schools. Somewhat new to the football forums and the passion you guys have is great!
If there wasn't any divisions in Football would schools like Iolani, Kalani, Damien drop their programs entirely? A lot of these lower division schools seem like FB is dying as noted from their roster numbers (not just covid but even before) From an admin point they would be protecting the health and well being of their kids, especially a school like Iolani where the tuition is outrageous!!! I'm sure most private school parents are paying to invest in their kids brains rather than careers except of course Saint Louis, you pay to play football!
At Iolani,I am assuming the kids are not pursuing a career in FB these days having their sights on higher academic achievements as @chadFukuoka mentioned and play for fun (albeit Look sure doesn't act like it, is that guy ever happy on camera??? wtf).
So did some digging and noticed with Iolani it seems a lot of their FB stars started in 7th grade or earlier and I don't think they were being recruited then. Opposed to Punahou where a lot of standouts seem to start in the 9th grade. St Louis, well every football player seems to want to go there from every grade.
@OldManJenkins: Well, to tell you the truth, I suspect there are more guys on this high school forum who dislike Punahou School than there are those who dislike Iolani School. Speaking for myself, I dislike both schools, but especially Punahou School. I hate when that school wins in anything. Yesterday the ILH girls' volleyball season began, and the Kamehameha vs Punahou match was on OC16. Punahou School won, and I really resented it. Thing is, Kamehameha Schools' best player, Devin Kahahawai, is on a recruiting trip on the mainland, so she wasn't here for the match. I think that if she were here, Kamehameha might have beaten Punahou. I mean, when a school's best player isn't playing, it's going to have an effect. What killed me is that I heard Kahahawai committed to the University of Texas, and I do not like that college; it really broke my heart. I was hoping that she might commit to UH, my alma mater. I heard UH did make her an offer, but she obviously turned it down. I think that absolutely, totally sucks, big-time. Absolutely heartbreaking: Local girl snubs the home team. Worse, she might be the best female high school volleyball player in the state, and the home team won't get her. I don't know, I'm kind of distressed about it, honestly. I mean, I'm not mad at the girl, as she has the right to play for whichever college she wants. But, I'm heartbroken. I hope she gets homesick after one year and transfers to UH! After all, it's not like UH sucks in women's volleyball; UH is definitely a respectable college for women's volleyball. Get homesick, Devin! Come home!
If there weren't different divisions in football, I don't think weak football schools would drop football entirely; I think they'd just forfeit games against schools that are too big and physical for them. If they dropped football entirely, I think their respective alumni would raise a big stink, especially the guys who played football while they were at those schools. As for St Louis School, yes: I think it's all about football, as far as the parents of the football players are concerned. Besides, St Louis School's academics aren't as strong as Iolani School's or Punahou School's, anyway. As for Iolani School, yes, I doubt that any of their players have the NFL in their sights; there's such a strong emphasis on academics at that school. It's, get a good high school education, and play high school football as something "extra." Regarding Look, yeah, the guy sure seems dour on camera. I think that's his genuine persona, kind of like the "Dunn Muramaru of football." I mean, have you watched Mid-Pac Institute's baseball coach Muramaru on camera? And, the funny thing is that both coaches have been quite successful in their respective sports, haven't they? Finally, your last paragraph seems to suggest that Iolani School doesn't recruit in football, but gopunahou is adamant that they do.
Last edited by HS Football Fanatic on Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

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HS Football Fanatic wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:34 pm
ChadFukuoka wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 6:41 pm
HS Football Fanatic wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:41 pm @gopunahou:

That's an interesting comment: "Iolani (School) does not recruit." So, you're saying they do recruit. Well, if they do recruit, why don't they recruit big, thick guys for their O-line? And, as for your last sentence, I ask: Why would we have to go back to the '90s to find every school playing second fiddle to St Louis School? That's already how it is right now.
Maybe the bigger players are just at other schools? We had a previous discussion about Polynesians being good football players in my other thread I made.

Kamehameha. You need to be at least part Hawaiian to attend there. Hawaiians are usually big in size as well as tough.

Punahou. You mentioned they recruit from the North Shore, which is Kahuku’s district. A lot of Polynesians live in the Laie/Waimea/Haleiwa areas.

St Louis. They’ve been successful for so long that they attract players from everywhere. They are also an all boys school so they can focus mainly on football.

A lot of players at public schools for financial/logistical reasons can’t attend private schools, so they just play in their district. Even then, schools like Mililani recruit from the West Oahu area. Getting players from Ewa Beach, Kapolei, or Waipahu. So even the public schools that recruit out of their geographic district are getting bigger, faster, stronger players to join their team.

Iolani’s academics are considered one of the best in the state, so maybe a lot of players who attend public schools haven’t been taking the accelerated or honors courses needed to meet their entry requirements. You can be successful at a public school, and go to a good college based on your high school achievements, but you still need to be able to meet the more stringent entry requirements to transfer to a private school for your high school years. In college football, elite academic schools like Northwestern, Stanford, Vanderbilt, etc, also face this problem.
@ChadFukuoka:
1. Well, I don't see why the bigger players have to be "just at other schools." Yes, many Polys are big, and, why can't they be at Iolani School? They've had big Polys before; why can't they have them now?
2. The thing about Kamehameha Schools is that yes, you have to have Hawaiian to go there, but there's no minimum quantum. For example, a kid could have less than, say, 1/4 Hawaiian, and still go there. A kid with that little Hawaiian wouldn't necessarily be that different than non-Hawaiian kids at other schools. Let's say a kid has 1/8 Hawaiian, and is attending Kamehameha Schools. With that little Hawaiian, he might not even look Hawaiian at all, and yet he's at that school.
3. As for Punahou School, absolutely: While Kale Ane was there, I heard they recruited heavily from Kahuku High. That's why some guys called Punahou School, "Kahuku South".
4. Yes, St Louis School attracts players from everywhere, but the same could be said for any private high school. St Louis School's "specialty" was raiding MWH. Since MWH kids are supposed to go to McKinley High, we could say that, in effect, St Louis School has been raiding McKinley High. And that, I think, has been going-on since the mid-'80s. MWH is a gold mine of football talent; many of St Louis School's best players were from MWH.
5. I don't think Mililani High recruits only from west Oahu; I heard they're recruiting from Kahuku High, too.
6. I'm not sure Iolani School can hide behind academics. I've heard that Punahou School created an unofficial special academic "track" for big/talented Polys who aren't "academically inclined," just so that they can keep playing football for the school. I can't claim to know that for a fact, but that's what I've heard. If it is true, why can't Iolani School do the same? (Ironically, I hope they never do, because I'd hate to see Iolani School get good enough to go to Open. That's because I don't care for Iolani School; I don't want them to get better or stronger in football.)
With Iolani, maybe they don’t want to compromise their academic standards? If they chose to play in D2 for a while, and now in D1 instead of the Open, then maybe striving to keep up with the other ILH schools isn’t a main priority? Maybe their culture is academics comes first, and if you also succeed in football, even better. But we won’t lower any standards to get football recruits. But Iolani does well in all of the other team sports, so maybe it’s just that football requires so many players, at so many positions, that the other elite ILH and public schools choose to recruit more, and make it a bigger focus.

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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

Post by HS Football Fanatic »

@ChadFukuoka: Yes, exactly; I totally agree. Iolani School is mostly about academics; I agree that that school won't compromise on that. Football is simply something "extra". And, as you say, that school sure seems to do well in most sports, which I don't like, because I don't care for that school. The thing about football, though, is that you gotta have big, thick players on the O-line. For whatever reason, Iolani School seems to have the hardest time getting such players.
Last edited by HS Football Fanatic on Wed Sep 22, 2021 8:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

Post by gopunahou »

HS Football Fanatic wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 8:22 pm
OldManJenkins wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 6:52 pm Wow I would hate to be an Iolani lover on this forum hahaha Disclaimer: my nephews play for Iolani and some other schools. Somewhat new to the football forums and the passion you guys have is great!
If there wasn't any divisions in Football would schools like Iolani, Kalani, Damien drop their programs entirely? A lot of these lower division schools seem like FB is dying as noted from their roster numbers (not just covid but even before) From an admin point they would be protecting the health and well being of their kids, especially a school like Iolani where the tuition is outrageous!!! I'm sure most private school parents are paying to invest in their kids brains rather than careers except of course Saint Louis, you pay to play football!
At Iolani,I am assuming the kids are not pursuing a career in FB these days having their sights on higher academic achievements as @chadFukuoka mentioned and play for fun (albeit Look sure doesn't act like it, is that guy ever happy on camera??? wtf).
So did some digging and noticed with Iolani it seems a lot of their FB stars started in 7th grade or earlier and I don't think they were being recruited then. Opposed to Punahou where a lot of standouts seem to start in the 9th grade. St Louis, well every football player seems to want to go there from every grade.
@OldManJenkins: Well, to tell you the truth, I suspect there are more guys on this high school forum who dislike Punahou School than there are those who dislike Iolani School. Speaking for myself, I dislike both schools, but especially Punahou School. I hate when that school wins in anything. Yesterday the ILH girls' volleyball season began, and the Kamehameha vs Punahou match was on OC16. Punahou School won, and I really resented it. Thing is, Kamehameha Schools' best player, Devin Kahahawai, is on a recruiting trip on the mainland, so she wasn't here for the match. I think that if she were here, Kamehameha might have beaten Punahou. I mean, when a school's best player isn't playing, it's going to have an effect. What killed me is that I heard Kahahawai committed to the University of Texas, and I do not like that college; it really broke my heart. I was hoping that she might commit to UH, my alma mater. I heard UH did make her an offer, but she obviously turned it down. I think that absolutely, totally sucks, big-time. Absolutely heartbreaking: Local girl snubs the home team. Worse, she might be the best female high school volleyball player in the state, and the home team won't get her. I don't know, I'm kind of distressed about it, honestly. I mean, I'm not mad at the girl, as she has the right to play for whichever college she wants. But, I'm heartbroken. I hope she gets homesick after one year and transfers to UH! After all, it's not like UH sucks in women's volleyball; UH is definitely a respectable college for women's volleyball. Get homesick, Devin! Come home!
If there weren't different divisions in football, I don't think weak football schools would drop football entirely; I think they'd just forfeit games against schools that are too big and physical for them. If they dropped football entirely, I think their respective alumni would raise a big stink, especially the guys who played football while they were at those schools. As for St Louis School, yes: I think it's all about football, as far as the parents of the football players are concerned. Besides, St Louis School's academics aren't as strong as Iolani School's or Punahou School's, anyway. As for Iolani School, yes, I doubt that any of their players have the NFL in their sights; there's such a strong emphasis on academics at that school. It's, get a good high school education, and play high school football as something "extra." Regarding Look, yeah, the guy sure seems dour on camera. I think that's his genuine persona, kind of like the "Cal Muramaru of football." I mean, have you watched Mid-Pac Institute's baseball coach Muramaru on camera? And, the funny thing is that both coaches have been quite successful in their respective sports, haven't they? Finally, your last paragraph seems to suggest that Iolani School doesn't recruit in football, but gopunahou is adamant that they do.
I don't think Iolani receives as much criticism as they did before 2015, when they started playing a D1-only schedule in the ILH. They also haven't tried to win D2 championships on the state level, although there was one year when they did (2017). They wrote an article in their school newspaper complaining about the criticism that was coming their way when they were playing in D2. Punahou would never write an article that targets people who hate on us or criticize us for anything.
Punahou Football: 12-1, 2008 ILH and State Champions! 11-0, 2013 ILH and State Champions, a team for the ages!

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Re: Open/D-I Top Ten 2021

Post by HS Football Fanatic »

@gopunahou: What upsets me is that the Star-Advertiser has Iolani School ranked at #7. #7! Isn't that kind of high? I think so. I mean, I could see perhaps #10, but not #7. Especially with their smallish O-line. By the way, gopunahou, sorry about how I was venting about your alma mater winning that volleyball game. You know, of course, that it's not about you; it's about your alma mater. The thing is that Punahou School wins so often in so many sports, so naturally guys (well, guys who aren't Punahou alumni) resent it. But, at the same time, I must admit that you and your alma mater take it well and in-stride. I have to give you and your alma mater credit for that.

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